‘Not All The Beautiful Things’ by What So Not

Today sees the release of Sydney electronic artist and producer What So Not‘s highly anticipated debut album ‘Not All The Beautiful Things‘, an album that is essentially about exploring the transformation and metamorphosis of life.

After having released music since 2011 – originating as a project with Flume – What So Not has put together 12 songs of highs, lows, and some of his best collaborations to day; featuring the likes of Daniel Johns (“Be Okay Again“), Winona Oak (“Beautiful“), BUOY (“Stuck In Orbit“), and on many other songs showcasing some of the best electronic, pop filled vibes that makes Not All The Beautiful Things a hot mess of noise.

“I didn’t want to put anything out that doesn’t cohesively match the essence of the songs.”

I had the opportunity to have a chat with What So Not which aired on Wednesday’s Eat This Music program. Click here to have a listen.

Initially What So Not‘s debut album was announced back on January 31 with the second taste of the album ‘Stuck In Orbit‘, featuring the vocals of Australia’s own BUOY.

Speaking on the creation of Stuck In Orbit, What So Not explains how the “song started as a jam with Jono Ma (Jagwar Ma) in his film scoring studio.”

“The vocals began as a sketch of adlibs from BUOY with only two words, drawn out across the verse “I ov-er comp-en-sate”.”

What So Not continues, “That set the tone for the entire piece; each word delivered with much thought and consideration.” Adding how What So Not “wrote the next phase of the lyrics whilst ‘stuck in transit’,” with the journey taking What So Not to a place he didn’t expect, “At the beginning of the journey a British Airways’ system crash left me stranded for a night sitting alone staring at a hotel wall,” concluding with “The circumstances compounded and I channeled the frustration and came up with the lines for and around ‘Stuck in Orbit’.”

“Things came full circle as on this very trip I ended up crossing paths with Jono multiple times, jamming further on ideas for the song and when I finally returned, brainstormed the final elements of the vocal with Winona Oak and BUOY.”

Having already given fans a taste of the album with Be Ok Again featuring Daniel Jones, What So Not has put together a solid 12-track album that explores a lot of sights, sounds and stories worth waiting to listen to.

The third taste of Not All The Beautiful Things saw the release of ‘Beautiful‘, featuring the vocals of Winona Oak.

Beautiful is a song full of “optimism, anxiousness and longing, but also an undertone of sadness,” explains What So Not.

“I think the hypnotic and intoxicating energy of the production also adds to this perplexity.”

Speaking on the creation of the single, What So Not explains he had put “this together in the jungle of Nicaragua which definitely had a sizeable impact on the sound pallet,” What So Not concludes.

Beautiful is just one of the many fantastic collaborations off What So Not‘s debut album – having already given fans a taste with Stuck In Orbit and Be Okay Again – that not only showcases more of that intense, electronic-pop vibes, but also showcases more of that story driven content What So Not continues to portray in the lead-up to his debut album – dropping March 9.

To coincide with the release of Beautiful, What So Not announced a bunch of tour dates for the album,
which you can see below.

There really isn’t much else to say about What So Not‘s Not All The Beautiful Things. It is an incredible piece of work from one of the most hard working artist. As far as debut albums go, Not All The Beautiful Things is amazing.

To conclude: “Highly anticipated” is an understatement. Not All The Beautiful Things is absolutely amazing. The stories, the characters, the vibes, the collaborations – everything. ‘Goh‘ is such a banger. I can hear it already being played throughout gyms everywhere.

What So Not‘s debut album Not All The Beautiful Things is now available on all major digital streaming and some physical platforms via Sweat It Out – and the links at the right.